Buffer



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

R. P. GARSED.

BUFFER.

No. 330,009. Patented Nov. 10, 1885.

0" b g X I t a L an i o b O 7 g Q H 1 a H I ETERS. PMWUIIwgr-mplunWuhingon. n. c.

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

R. P. GARSED.

BUFFER.

Patented Nov. 10. 1885.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT P. GARSED, OF NORRTSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

BUFFER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 330,009, dated November10, 1885.

Application filed August 29, 1885. Serial No.175,634. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, ROBERT P. GARSED, a citizen of the United States,residing at Norristown, Montgomery county, in the State of Pennsylvania,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Buffers, of which thefollowing is a specification, and which, taken in conjunction with thedrawings which accompany it, will enable others to understand it, likeletters indicating like parts throughout.

The object of my invention is to furnish a compact, easily-made, andpowerful device to stop trains gradually and without jarring, and, whenplaced at the termini of railways, occupying short space, and withoutany alteration to road bed or rails; and it relates, also, to the savingof metal in its construction, which construction also affords facilityin putting it together or taking it apart. It relates, as well, toespecial means of restoring it to its original position after beingstruck by a moving body; also to fenders, where the blow of such movingbody is received; and, finally, it relates to gaining different andincreasing frictions, whereby a suitable resistance is furnished for amoderate blow, and a greater one for a blow terrific without any reboundfrom the device, it being well understood that a rebound to a buffer(such as one finds in the ordinary spring or rubber ones) does as muchdamage to the train as the blow.

These features of the apparatus having been gained by expensiveexperiments, labor, time, and patience, the sizes of the parts, and theincline of bed-bars with the angles of openings in bearings may beconsidered as practical.

Figure 1 represents a plan view of the device; Fig. 2, a side Viewthrough line 00 m, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a side view of the inclined bed-bars,with section of head-support and gage-bar; Fig. 4, a top view of thesame; Fig. 5, a side View of the inside housings, which, with theoutside, are adapted to hold friction-bars and spring-shaft in place;Fig. 6, a section of the same through line y y,- Fig. 7, a front View ofthe housings upon a track; Fig. 8, a front View of an anchoring and gagebar for rear end of inclined bed-bars; Fig. 9, an end view of the same;Fig. 10, a front view of supporting friction-bar; Fig. 11, an end Viewof the same; Fig. 12, an end View of spring-shaft; Fig. 13, a side viewof the springs; Fig. 14, a

View of spring-shaft rod which goes through spring-shaft and unites thehousings; Fig. 15, a front view of fender and frame; Fig. 16, a sideview of the same; Fig. 17, a top view through line a u of Fig. 16; Fig.18, a View of the screw-box for holding screw which allows the rails tolower; Fig. 19, a section of same; Fig. 20, a top or bottom view; Fig.21, the screw, and Fig. 22 a View of a sectional part of inside ofhousings with screw-box chamber o.

A A represent the rails of a railroad; B, a fixed cross beam restingthereon, which supports and gages in position the bedbars D D at theirhead; 0, an anchor-bar with flanges G, lugs O, and a staple, 0, the endsof which bar, whenin place, resting between rails A A on the basesthereof, and at its intermediate part fastened to a tie.

D D are inclined faced bed-bars placed between rails A A, and whilesupported at their head end by beam B are gaged to their position attheir other end upon the ties of the road by anchor-bar 0, between theflanges of which they rest, the circular openings D of these barssecuring them better in position upon 0.

E is a hollow rectangular metal frictiou-bar with feet or cams E, whichrest upon the up per faces of bars D, the ends of said frictionbarprojecting through the inclined openings F in the housings F.

G is a hollow metal spring-shaft extending through inner halves ofhousings F, and in length reach from the centers of across the rails AA. They are supported in place by ribbed slots F on these housings, asshown, the outer ends of these slots having an inwardly-slanting face,by which the housings have a continuous and strong outer edge, which, byslight outward spreading permits shaft G to be put in or out of placewithout taking said housings off the rails AA, around whose top they areloosely bolted.

G is a flanged chain-wheel fastened to shaft G, and G are coil-springsfastened at their inner ends to the ends of shaft G and at their outerends to the housings F.

H is a chain, one end of which is fastened to face of wheel G, and theother to anchorbar 0.

I is a rod, with fixed head on one end and nut on the other, thefunction of which is before referred to.

K is a metal bar, in length to span rails A A and rest upon their faces,and when in position passes beneath bars D and through the openings K ofthe housings. It serves to produce an additional friction in the device,as well as gage its backward movement by abutting against the shoulderbeneath end of line 3 in Fig. 3.

Whenthe device is moved to its normal position by the action of thesprings G, it being meant that the device is in its normal position whenrear face of bar K is against shoulders shown under bed-bars D, towardtheir rear ends, and'the rear faces of cams E of the bar E are flushwith the ends of said bed-bars.

The fender and frame shown in Figs. 15, 16, and 17 consist of a rubberor wooden rectangular piece, M, placed within metal frame M,

with bolt M holding said fender and frame in place on the front of thehousings, the

. clamps of the frame fitting over ribs N of the housings. This fenderand frame are readily adjusted, and when the part M becomes worn out itis with ease put in position.

The operation of the device is as follows: A train comes in thedirection of the arrow, Figs. 1 and 2, when the fenders on the housingsF engage the same, and said housings move forward upon the rails A A,causing the bar E to move upon the faces of bars D D and upon the upperfacing of inclined openings F of the housings F, and thus producefriction in proportion as said bars D D or the slots Fin the housings Fmay be slanting" After bar E passes beyond the dotted line 8, Fig. 3,the bar K, being carried with the housings, receives pressure from theunder face of bars D, and thus an additional friction is produced atthese points; and where said bar K bears upon the rails A A a face-platewithin the base of housings may, if desired, be put to receive suchbearing, the openings K being made large enough to allow bar K to beadjusted, and thus a light blow is met by movement of bar E forward fromits normal position to line 3, and a heavier one beyond thesame. Thisbar K tends also to keep rails A A from rising when bar E is at theextreme upper ends of slots or openings F, and the force of a blow fromtrain continues. During the advance of the device the springs G arewound up, and as the end of chain is hooked stationary to bar 0 (or bypassing through the staple it may be hooked to its own links) the otherpart uncoils from the wheel G. Upon the retreat of train the devicemoves to its first position, the springs coiling the chain again uponsaid wheel.

In putting the device together, the beam B and bar 0 being first putimposition, no leveling of ties is necessary, as the height of beam Bbeing suited to fit beneath the brackets D of the bars D, and the bar 0disallowing the other ends of barsD to go below thelevel-point stroke tothe device.

as fixed by the rails A A,and thus a desired incline of upper face ofbars D D is preserved, whether the rails A A settle or not. Next, thebar E is placed in position, resting upon the faces of D D. The innerhousings being then. fitted, the. outer ones are with no difficulty puton,and when bolted and the springshaft in place they should be movedbackward to a position where shaft G is near or over bar 0, when thehook end of chain is passed through staple 0 and hooked to a desiredlength- The bar E then being raised and packed up within the housings,the device may be pushed forward slowly by the train to a point wherebar K may be put in place, and this winding up of springs will besufficient to move the device to its extreme rear position whenrequired.

When the device has been sent violently to the head end of its throw,the ends of bar E, as before stated, would bear against upper ends ofopenings F, which, when train has retreated, leaves railsA A withdownward ten-- rounding these rods, and at one end passing through themand at the. other held by the" groove L in thenpper end of screw-rodbox, will advance them again to their distance below upper end of theslots F. The boxes P for these screws are rectangular in shape on theiroutside, to prevent their turning within the chambers 0 of thehousings,and on their inside so shaped as to admit of the screw and itsspring, and have a female thread at their lower end, by which screw-rodLis raised and lowered. The housings being in parts and not' readilyhandled, such female threads are almost impossibly made through theiredges. The chambers cast in these housings are in shape to retain theboxes P with their screws,

as shown in Fig. 22.

Where it is advisable, the tension-screw L may be placed head enddownwardly,extending within the cross friction-bar E, and with a nut orhead on its other end. It may be used to raise or lower said bar to givea certain It is shown of this construction in Fig. 5. The bar E is ofmetal and cast hollow, whereby strength and lightness are obtained. Thebars D, having much of their under part out away,are rendered lighter,as well as serving for passage of bar K;

The shaft G is of wrought-iron and hollow,

thus giving lightness and strength, as well as affording room forpassage of rod I, as before" mentioned. The brackets D of the bed-bars Dare of a further use in preventing arockin'g motion of said bars, andi-nsaving breadth of metal on their bases,where they rest upon theties. Thewidthof supporting beam B is eight inches upon the rails A A. Thelengthof bars D Dbeing nine feet without the bracket, and commencing attheir lower end at a height to suit that of the rails A A, they will bein a line with rear of cams on bar E,which will then bear upon them. Thelength of housings is three feet six inches, and from their fender end,when in position, to the for ward side of supporting-bar B is just tenfeet. The stroke allowed the device with these dimensions is five feetten inches upon the rails A A, between which and the clamps or bases ofthe housings great friction is produced by upward pressure of thehousings during their advance. Upon such advance the bar E moves forwardalso, but at a greater rate of speed than the housings, because of itshaving the length of the slots F to travel, in addition to the five feetten inches which is the stroke of the housings, this additional lengthin the present instance being just sixteen and one-half inches, and thusbetween bars D D, bar E, and the upper faces of slots F additionalfrictions are gained, and during the production of such friction boththe upward tendency of rails to rise and the separating of the housingsby breaking at points in continuation of the ends of their slots areovercome by the very object giving the blow, as it will be understoodfrom the construction of the device that a longitudinal blow imparts aswell a downward pressure to the'parts. The bed-bars DDrise one andone-half inch to every foot of length, or at an angle of seven degrees,and this in cline is about as high as possible for the roadbed, as thebrake-beam of passenger cars would press upon their surfaces before muchstroke could be had, and so to produce arequired friction the inclinedslots F must be at a suitable angle, which in the present instance isforty degrees, it being found that thirty-five degrees scarce permittedthe device to move, though the crushing or downward force imparted to'it then savedit whole, although struck by a train of eight cars and alocomotive moving at ordinary depot speed. The bar E islof cast-ironfivejjfeetfiisix inches long, six inches square, and seven-eighths inchthicknesss of metal, and the cams or feet thereon are short upon theirrear facing, to insure a prompt disengagement with the bed-bars D D,upon the retreat of the housings to their normal position. The housingslots or openings F are in width to allow threesixteenths or onefourthinch play of the bar E, and at their outer edges are ribbed orre-enforced. The housings proper are of cast-iron each seven-eighthsinch thick. The springs G are of three-eighths-inch steel three incheswide, and made from a sheet twentythree feet long each, and when inplace only occupy a space fifteen inches in diameter.

As it is apparent the device may be operated in various ways or with anincrease or decrease of its partse-as, for i11stance,with one housingupon one rail'in the center of tracks,with inclined bars at either side,or with two housings and one inclined bar at the center of bar E, orwith spring-shaft G extending through both housings, and with twochain-wheels and chains on the outside ends-it is meant in the claimsthat the elements,whetherin singular or plural,shall be equivalent,andso two or more anchor-bars C may be used, the others without staples 0,and with the lugs O on either side, as by this means a tie for fasteningmay be reached, asin their ordinary distribution upon the road-bed theymay not be within reach of wood screws, or spikes usedjthroughfllugs Gin holding anchor-bar in position, which bar prevents as well alongitudinal motion of the bars D, especially after barK is pressedupon, which takes place upon the downward yielding of bars D. The rod I,through shaft G, permits said shaft to revolve as well as holding thehousings in position.

In cases where it is desirable to opeiate the device from the pilot of alocomotive, bar K becomes of further use in supporting anysuitably-shaped piece of material made to engage with said pilot andleading from the rear of the device to said bar. This engaging piece ofmaterial is not shown in the drawings.

Having thus described my invention, what I clai1n,and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s-

1. The combination, in a buffer, of the rails A A, the housings F,withbar E,the supporting and gaging beam 13, and the bed-bars D, supportedand gaged thereon, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. Inc'ombination, in a buffer, the rails A A, the supporting and gagingbeam B, the bed-bars D,with brackets D, and theanchoring-bar G, adaptedto retain bars D and gage themzto position, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

3. In a buffer, the combination of the housings F, adapted to advanceand retreat while supporting shaft G, said shaft G, with coilsprings G,fastened thereon, and the chainwheel G, attached to said shaft andcarrying chain H, the one end of which being stationary permits theadvance of the housings, while being a medium to cause their retreat,substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. In combination, the housings F, adapted to advance and retreat, thehollow shaft G, supported thereon, the coil-springs G, fastened thereto,the rod I, adapted to pass through shaft G and retain housings in place,and the chain H, adapted to serve as a medium to wind up the springs andcause the retreat of the device, substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

5. In combination, the housings F, adapted to advance and retreat, theshaft G,supported thereon, the coil-springs G, fastened thereto, thechain H, serving as a medium to operate the device, and the bar 0, withthe staple 0',

adapted to hold the chain in place, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

IIO

6. In a buffer, in combination, the rails A, the housings F, the bars Eand D, the latter with openings for engagement with bar 0, and one ormore gaging-bars,0, having flanges O for such engagement, and lugs O tohold the device in place, substantially as and for the purposesdescribed.

7. In combination, the rails A, the housings F, adapted to slide thereonand having chambers 0 to'reoeive screw-rod boxes 1?, said screw-rodboxes and the screw-rods L, the bar E, adapted to raise and lower, andthe bars D, substantially as set forth. 8. In combination, in a buffer,the rails A, the housings F, adapted to advance and retreat, and havingchambers 0 to receive screwrod boxes P, said screw-rodboxes and thescrew-rods L, with springs L attached, the bar E, adapted to raise andlower, and the bars D, substantially as set forth.

9. In a buffer, theoombination of housings F, having slots F withinwardly-slanting face, the spring-shaft G, adapted to fit within saidslots and permitted to revolve upon the advance and retreat of thedevice, the springs G, and the chain H, serving as a medium by whichsaid springs are wound up to return the device to its normal position.

10. In combination, in a buffer, with the rails A A, the housings F,with ribs N and the fenders of wood or rubber, M, the metal frame M,having clamps thereon adapted to fit over ribs N of the housings, andthe screw M, adapted to hold the parts in place, substantially as andfor the purposes set forth.

11. In a buffer, in combination, the railsA A, the housings fastenedthereto and adapted to support bar E, the bed-bars D, bar E, and the barK, passing beneath the bars D, through the housings, and over the railsA A,'substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

12. In a buffer, in combination with the rails A, the housings F,adapted to advance and retreat, the shaft G, supported thereby servingas a medium by which said frameand Wood are held in place, substantiallyas set forth.

R. I. vGARSED. WVitnesses:

WM. WAGNER, J r., W. S. CUNNINGHAM.

